The present invention relates to a method of printing and printed products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of printing profile ridges by applying resin to a low surface tension ink.
In today""s marketplace, products are often distinguished as much by the packaging in which they are presented as the quality of the product itself. A package which catches the eye of the consumer is therefore very desirable. To that end, increasingly colorful and creative graphics have been applied to packaging in an attempt to distinguish one package, and hence one product, from another.
One popular graphic with visual appeal for consumers is the hologram. Holograms present a three dimensional image to the consumer. Unfortunately, holograms are expensive to produce, requiring high precision embossing equipment and tools. The capital expense required to produce holograms is high enough that holograms are often used as a security device.
Simpler embossing methods can be used at lower cost than holograms to produce a graphic with a textured or raised look and feel. Embossing can produce interesting visual effects when a clear profile is embossed over an image. The underlying image appears differently from various viewing angles due to refraction of light through the embossed profile. However, even simple embossing equipment requires a significant capital expenditure.
Thus, there is a need for a simpler, less expensive technology for printing packaging material with a visually appealing, textured look and feel. The present invention provides such a printing method, eliminating the need for embossing rollers, while providing a profile pattern of raised ridges over printed matter.
The present invention provides a printing process and a printed product in which ink is combined with an additive that lowers the surface tension of the dried ink film. The enhanced ink is printed onto a substrate in a pattern of substantially parallel lines and allowed to dry. A clear resin or varnish is applied over or under the dried ink, and because of the difference in surface tension between the ink film and the substrate, the resin flows away from the ink film. The resin cures in a series of raised ridges oriented along the printed profile lines.
For reverse printed applications, the additive is formulated into the clear resin or varnish. The clear resin pattern is printed on a clear web. The clear pattern is dried and the ink is printed on top of the dried clear resin. This ink flows away from the clear resin due to the difference in surface tension, forming patterns of raised ink. This reverse-printed film is then laminated to a second film to complete the overall structure.